Are you about to embark on an extreme ride or race? Have you entered the ABSA Cape Epic or the Magalies Monster race? If so, you need to make sure that your wheels and tyres are up for the job. Here’s our top 5 tips to make sure you and your wheels finish strong.
- Go tubeless. Most wheels can be converted to run without tubes. The best option is to use proper “tubeless” rims and tyres. There are many standards on the market like UST, TLR and TCS. I won’t bore you with the details – you can Google it.
- Make sure your tyres have enough sealant. 50-100ml is about right for a 29er MTB.
- Run your tyres at the correct pressure. Tyres that are too soft will roll off the rim or burp and could lead to a damaged rim. Tyres that are too hard will give a harsh ride and have less traction.
- Use strong tyres with sturdy sidewalls. Thin racing XC tyres don’t cut it in Africa. Schwalbe, Continental and Maxxis (among others) have models with this design consideration in mind.
- Lastly the wheels themselves: make sure you have no broken spokes, no loose spokes, check your bearings for play and smoothness, check that the rims are true and round. Make sure your cassette lockring is tight (personal experience taught me this one) and that your brake rotors are straight and don’t rub on the pads.
Good luck and enjoy the ride!
Image credit Assos
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